Education:

1980, B.A., Sociology and Latin American Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz

Biography:

My work focuses on inequality, stratification, and social mobility. I argue that our understanding of such phenomena changes fundamentally once we shift the relevant unit of analysis from the nation-state to the world as a whole. More specifically, this book advances several theoretical and empirical propositions that help to understand the relationship between current globalization and inequality within- and between-nations. For example, For example, my recent book Unveiling Inequality (co-authored with Timothy Moran) makes the case that the same institutional mechanisms through which inequality historically has been reduced within some nations often have accentuated the selective exclusion of populations from poorer countries, thereby enhancing a high inequality equilibrium between nations. We also argue that ascriptive criteria centered on national identity and citizenship are the fundamental contemporary basis of stratification and inequality in the world. Drawing on these insights, my work seeks to recast our understanding of patterns of mobility and global stratification. I am now preparing a NSF proposal to further advance this work.